It was an unseasonal rainy day when my friend and I stopped at the Radical Sports Centre on Pigeon Point beach in Tobago. When we discovered that they had restarted the bioluminescence tours, we were very excited and immediately booked up a space for the following evening. Fingers crossed that no storms (in the middle of the dry season!) would upset our plans. Apparently National Geographic were very impressed by this tour in their recent write up about Tobago.
It was a cloudy evening but there was little wind and the sea was calm. It looked a long way to No Man’s Land and it’s been many, many years since either of us had kayaked. Still, Duane was reassuring and promised that the trip back is even easier than going. There were eight of us in four double-kayaks, everyone else being a visitor to the island.
We pushed off at about 6pm when the sun was low on the horizon. Unfortunately, the clouds prevented us from enjoying the usual spectacle of a Tobago sunset. Duane accompanied us on a stand-up paddle board so he could talk to the group more easily. My arm muscles were complaining by the time we glided onto the sand bank on No Man’s Land. It was almost night and we could see fish jumping in the shallow waters. This spit of sand protects the deep lagoon from the ocean currents, and the inner bay was as smooth as a lake. Duane enlightened us about the fishes we saw and answered general questions about Tobago.
When it was completely dark, he led us to the other side of the coral sand and we pushed off again into the Bon Accord lagoon. A Virgin Atlantic jet rumbled into the sky some distance away, heading to the cold of London. We aimed for the sides of the bay which was fringed with red mangroves. These are perfect conditions for the proliferation of the miniscule plankton that give off a brilliant light when disturbed. I was reminded of the wetlands in the Caroni Swamp that I have visited many times in Trinidad.
We glided past some unlit boats at anchor. There were a couple of jetties with bright security lighting but otherwise we were in awe of the milky way twinkling above us as clouds parted in the moonless night. Soon, Duane instructed us to duck under the mangrove canopy and our kayaks bumped into each other in the dark. Here we ran our fingers through the water to stimulate the plankton to produce a shiny effect.
Then we realised that the raucous soca music we could hear in the distance was getting louder. An unlit party boat proceeded to drive right past us and nestle in the mangrove close by, presumably to see the bioluminescence effect too. We thus got to enjoy ‘a taste of Carnival’. It was Carnival Saturday after all. We clung to dangling roots to keep out of their way. When they had moved on, Duane encouraged us to take a swim to experience the glittery effect on our bodies. However, it was only when we moved further round the lagoon, that we got the best showing.
Duane flashed his torch briefly to show us pelicans and other birds nesting in the trees. Then he picked up a couple of sea cucumbers from the shallow water and we exclaimed in wonder at these strange looking animals. At this point, we realised that any moving water showed brilliant white as the plankton proceeded to give us an exceptional display. “Eleven out of ten” said Duane. Apparently, the recent rainwater on the sea surface caused the plankton to congregate in greater numbers. We had a lot of fun splashing with our paddles and hands. Even the small bow waves in front of each kayak showed clear white bioluminescence in the dark. We encircled the lagoon before reluctantly heading for home. My arms and shoulders were truly aching trying to keep up with the other boats, barely visible in the gloom. Definitely not easier on the return journey!
Though it was a relief to be back on dry land, the three hour experience will be a wonderful memory for life. We took photos of our bedraggled but happy selves. It was a bit strange exiting in the dark and deserted Pigeon Point complex, though Tobago is known to be a safe island. Definitely a tour not to be missed while in this tropical paradise.
You can contact Duane or Brett as below:
Pigeon Point Heritage Park, Crown Point, Tobago
Cell Phone:+1 868 728 5483
Telephone:+1 868 631 5150
facebook “radicalsportstobago”
E-mail: windsurf@radicalsportstobago.com
